SCOTUS back in action with a busy criminal justice week

After a month-long break, the Supreme Court is back in action this week.  And, as detailed in this preview post at SCOTUSblog, more than half of the cases scheduled to be heard this coming week involve criminal justice issues.  Of the six criminal cases to be heard, these two seem most likely to cover matters of interest to sentencing fans:

• Harbison v. Bell (07-8521), involving the right of prisoners to have federally funded counsel during state clemency proceedings.
• Puckett v. United States (07-9712), involving claims over the government breaching a plea agreement.

I am also expecting that the Court will issue a few opinions from cases argued in the fall, and I am hopeful that some of the sentencing sleeper cases like Ice or Hayes might be among decisions handed down sooner rather than later.